The Vegetarian & The Best
by Acherona
Summary: From childhood dreams to the bitter realities of life. It's never easy…Even when your dreams come true. SasuNaru chibifluff and some sadness later on.


**Disclaimer** – I don't own Naruto or any of its characters nor am I making any money off these writings.

**Warnings** – Not many to speak of, Chibis and some sadness, the kind one knows if you've ever lost a pet.

**Beta'd** – Unfortunately this is not beta'd, all the mistakes are strictly my own and I hope that you can overlook them

**AN** - _This was written as small snippets on my very own living muse Trulywicked page. I honestly hadn't intended to post this but TW asked me to and therefore, here I am. _

_A couple of months ago my dog got sick and I had to have her put down. It was very difficult and it still hurts. Writing this was a bit like therapy for me._

_Hope you enjoy._

**The Vegetarian & The Best**.

"I'm going to be a carpenter!" 

"I'm going to work in a flower shop." 

"I'm going to be a super model!" 

"Wait I change my mind, I'm going to be a super model too…And an actress...Plus, Ill marry Sasuke-kun and we'll have eight curly babies...so hah!" 

"You can't change your mind, you already said flower shop. You can sell the flowers all my admirers will by for me." Green eyes glared. "And you can't marry Sasuke-kun since he'll already be married to me and he'll have my babies...Twelve of them." 

"As if billboard brow, I'm gonna be a much bigger super model than you. Sasuke and the curls will me MINE!"

"Okay girls, you can both be models, actresses or whatever you want to be when you grow up, no need to fight." Iruka separated the two hissing seven year olds to different corners of the brightly painted class room. The class was having career week or a simplified version anyway. They had been reading about different professions, went on excursions and just learned about all the different things you could do with your life. It was all meant to be for fun but of course the children took it deadly seriously. "Let's continue shall we." Iruka rubbed his scar and tried to will the budding headache away. "Sasuke-kun, what do you want to do when you grow up." 

"Hn…I'm gonna be the best." 

Iruka's eyes widened and Sakura and Ino quieted to listen to what their idol had to say. He was always so cool. 

"The best? How do you mean?" 

"I don't know what I want to do yet but I know I'm going to be the best at it." The boy crossed his arms over his chest and raised his chin stubbornly, as if challenging the teacher to argue with him. 

"Okay Sasuke-kun, I'm sure you'll succeed." No false modesty or lack of confidence there Iruka thought. The kid was arrogant and downright rude at times but he was brilliant, no one could argue with that. 

Iruka thought it best to move on so he turned to the tiny blond sitting next to Sasuke, leaning his head against the dark haired boy's shoulder. That wasn't surprising, Naruto was a very affectionate boy and he liked to touch, hug and just be close to the persons he liked. The surprising thing was that Sasuke let him. The youngest Uchiha was…_not_ especially affectionate. 

Antisocial, bordering on feral with a superiority complex was the words the student nurse had used after the boy had sunk his bright white little teeth into her arm. Iruka found that a bit harsh, the boy was seven and to his defense the nurse had tried to pinch his plump cheeks. 

"Naruto-kun what do you want to be?" 

Iruka was answered with blinding smile as Naruto scooted forward, making Sasuke frown at the loss of Naruto's warmth against his side. "I'm going to be a vegetarian." Blue eyes sparkled. 

"A vegetarian?" Iruka didn't really understand. Okay if he wanted to give up meat and dairy but how would he do it for a living? 

"Yup!" Naruto nodded vigoursely. "It's gonna be awesome." 

"You can't be a vegetarian for a living stupid, only an idiot like yourself would think that you could." Kiba scoffed and stuck out his tongue at Naruto. 

"Can too!" Naruto grew red in the face from anger. "I'm gonna be a vegetarian and help all the animals get betterer." 

"You mean veterinarian." Iruka smiled and ruffled bright blond locks. 

"That's what I said, vegetarian…just like uncle Kashi." Naruto beamed at his favorite teacher. His father had taken him out to Kakashi's clinic and Naruto had been hooked instantly, knowing that taking care of animals, all kinds of animals was what he was meant to do with his life. 

"Hah, if you're so stupid that you can't even say the word right then how do you think you'll ever be able to become a ve…a vete…an animal doctor." Kiba sneered. "My mom says you have to be really smart and study for a lot of years to work with animals. You'll never be able to make it." 

Naruto felt a lump in his throat but he swore he wouldn't cry in front of the entire class. He looked down at the floor, he thought he said the word right, it sounded right in his head. Naruto curled in on himself more as the class laughed at him. 

"Yes he'll make it. I'll help him." Sasuke growled the words at Kiba and reached out to pull his blond close again. No one was allowed to hurt his Naruto. Kiba would find his lunch full of worms through the week. Itachi had taught him how to handle bullies. "If Naruto wants to become a veterinarian then he'll be an awesome one. I'll help him study if he needs it. You'll have to take back everything you said when Naruto is the one taking care of your dogs."

"Like I would ever ask that loser for something." Kiba scoffed but slunk back to go sit next to Shino. 

"Promise Sas…Promise you'll never leave my side?" Naruto looked at his best friend with wide eyes. "You'll help me study and become the bestest vegetarian ever right?" 

"I promise as long as you promise to excel." Sasuke nodded seriously, feeling very grown up all of a sudden. His father had used that word when talking to Itachi and Sasuke had been dying to use it ever since, now he got his chance. 

"I promise, I'll expel anything you want me to as long as we're together." 

Sasuke gave Naruto one of his rare smiles and looked up at their teacher. "I know what I'm going to be now…I'm going to be the best at taking care of Naruto.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

"_Please."_ The voice was filled with anguish and it made Naruto's heart clench. 

"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. It's his age." It was so difficult having to deliver this news, to not being able to help. 

"But it's Akamaru." Kiba ran his fingers through the soft white fur of the large dog lying on the examination table. Kiba's eyes were pleading and Naruto had to swallow around the lump in his throat, hating that he couldn't give his friend better news. 

"I know Kiba and I really wish this was something treatable but I can't turn back the years no matter how much I wish that I could. He's old and he's in pain Kiba, it's time to let him go. Naruto rubbed a velvety ear and Kiba buried his face in the soft fur and sobbed his heart out. Akamaru thumped his tail weakly and turned to give his human a wet kiss, not wanting Kiba to cry. 

Naruto had to blink back is own tears, this part of being a veterinarian was never easy but it was even harder this time. He'd known Akamaru since the dog was a tiny little puppy and the white canine been at Kiba's side every day for the last seventeen years. 

This was not what he'd had in mind when he wanted to make all animals _betterer_ as a child but Naruto had quickly learned that it was a big part of being a veterinarian. And in some way Naruto hoped he helped them here too, helped them be free from pain. "Do you want some more time to say goodbye?" Naruto's voice was soft and thick with emotion. 

Kiba shook his head, still caressing Akamaru's fur with tears streaming down his face. "No, more time won't help, won't make it any easier. Besides I don't want him to be in pain anymore, he doesn't deserve that. He's stuck up for me and had my best interest at heart all his life…It's time for me to be there for him now, make the decision he needs." Kiba's voice broke and another sob escaped him. 

"Okay then." Naruto watched as Kiba pulled out Akamaru's blanket and placed it on the floor. He lifted the dog down from the table and sat on the floor with him, letting Akamaru rest his head in his lap. Naruto went over to his table at got four large syringes ready. One with tranquilizer and the rest with the sleeping medicine slash toxin. 

"Naruto…" The blond turned around at Kiba's voice. "Just so you know, I wouldn't trust anyone but you doing this. I know you love him almost as much as I do." 

Naruto had to swallow around the lump in his throat again. "I do Kiba, you know I love him." He walked over to them and kneeled on the floor beside them. Naruto pulled out a trimmer and shaved a patch on Akamaru's front paw. "I will give him the tranquilizer first. It'll make him woozy and then he'll fall asleep." Naruto administered the shot and both he and Kiba petted the dog as his breathing grew heavier and the tails slow wagging died away. After about fifteen minutes he picked up the other shots, injecting them straight into Akamaru's bloodstream, as close to the heart as possible. The breathing stopped rather quickly and it wasn't very long before Naruto took out his stethoscope, listening for a pulse that wasn't there anymore. "He's gone now." He declared softly and jutted down the time of death on his chart. 

Kiba's tears were heartbreaking and he helped his old friend wrap Akamaru up in his blanket and carry him out to Kiba's truck. "Call me if you want to talk okay?" Naruto hugged his friend tightly. 

Kiba nodded. "Yeah I'll do that. Right now though I just want to get home and give him a proper burial." The brunet got into his truck and headed out after waving to Naruto. 

Naruto finished the rest of the day in a haze. He was so tired and had the mother of all headaches when he finally got to change out of his scrubs and go home. 

When he got there he toed off his shoes and walked into the living room where he found his bastard and personal salvation sitting on the couch. All the hurt and sadness that he'd had to repress during the day bubbled forward and he practically leaped on to the couch and crawled into Sasuke's lap, resting his head in the crook of his bastard's neck as his tears wet Sasuke's shirt. "Sometimes I hate my job so fucking much, who am I to decide when I life is over?" 

Sasuke put away his paperwork and wrapped his arms around Naruto tightly. The moron had such a huge heart and he cared so much. It was what made him wonderful but it was also what hurt him so much. "You're the only one who can speak for them Naruto. You give them a voice then they have none and everything you do, you do to help them…Never forget that." 

Naruto cried harder and clutched at the fabric of Sasuke's shirt. "I love you Sas. I love you for always being there, for letting me get snot and tears on your Armani shirt." 

"Hn…Only you moron…Only you." Sasuke weaved long, elegant fingers into golden tresses. "I love you too and I'll always be here, always take care of you. I made a promise a long time ago didn't I?" 

Naruto couldn't help but snort through his tears. "Yeah you did…And you were right…You really are the best."

**The End.**

**AN** - _Thank you so much for reading, I would love to hear what you thought._


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